Ben Tansey
Ben Tansey is a journalist and author. He grew up in the South Bay and is a graduate of Evergreen State College. He worked in Washington State as a reporter in a rural timber community and for many years as an editor for a Western electric energy policy publication based in Seattle.
Trader Joe’s COVID UPDATE | 3 Employees Positive at South Pasadena Location
Three employees of Trader Joe’s South Pasadena store on Mission St. in South Pasadena tested positive for COVID-19 and another is showing symptoms, a...
City to Hold First Ever Remote Council Meeting | Agenda to Balance Business with...
South Pasadena’s first-ever disembodied City Council meeting will take place April 15 as the Council seeks to balance the public’s business with public safety...
City’s Emergency Funds at $6.7 Million | Officials Track Coronavirus (COVID-19) Spending for Federal...
The City of South Pasadena is tracking its coronavirus pandemic expenses in hope of being reimbursed under state and federal relief programs. “While funding...
Clean Power Alliance Signs off on Energy Milestone | Luna Battery Storage Aims to...
The Clean Power Alliance this week will sign its first energy storage contract, a 15-year deal for a lithium-ion battery project to be built...
Former South Pasadena Resident Possible Biden Supreme Court Pick
Leondra R. Kruger, a California Supreme Court Justice who is from Glendale but grew up in South Pasadena, is among the leading candidates on...
Bissell House Bed & Breakfast Donates All Their Rooms to Frontline Doctors
Intensive care unit and emergency services doctors working to treat COVID-19 victims at local hospitals, occupying a precarious spot on the frontline of the...
Citizen Claims Racial Profiling | South Pasadena Police File Answer in Civil Rights Case
The City of South Pasadena and two of its police officers have denied all substantive allegations by, and raised a raft of affirmative defenses...
City Hall: Future Hotel Site? | RFP Considers Developing Several Key Properties
South Pasadena City Hall, the Fire and Police Departments and two city-owned parking lots may have development potential as future hotels, the city said...
UPDATE: Griffins of Kinsale Pub Opened on St. Patrick’s Day | Mixed Messages &...
In the weeks before the coronavirus took over our lives, Joseph Griffin wasn’t glued to the media checking for updates. The owner of Griffins...
BREAKING NEWS: First COVID-19 Death at a Pasadena Hospital Reported
A 34-yaer-old Glendora man died in a Pasadena hospital Thursday less than a week after testing positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19) and less than three...
UPDATE: City Council Passes Tenant Protections | ‘Shelter-in-Place’ Imminent According to City Manager
At what was likely South Pasadena’s last physical public meeting for the foreseeable future, the prospect of a far-reaching, county-wide “shelter in place” order...
Huntington Hospital Sets Visitation Restrictions | COVID Tests Still Limited for LA
Pasadena’s Huntington Hospital says its experience with previous infectious diseases such as SARS and MARS has proven its preparedness to deal with the 2019...
City Council Preview: March 18 | COVID-19 Emergency Proclamation and Tenant Protection on Agenda
The City of South Pasadena on Wednesday is poised to adopt a resolution proclaiming a local emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak and adopting...
UPDATE: Tenants’ Union Demands Eviction Moratorium | Utility Shutoff Halt in Place for South...
Original article published Monday, March 16 updated to include statements from city PIO, Rachel McGuire and city Councilmember, Michael Cacciotti
Citing the ongoing COVID-19 crisis...
Former City Employee Files Retaliation Suit | Alleges Cover Up by City Managers
Lauren Rubin, a former long-time employee in the City of South Pasadena’s Finance Department, has filed an explosive lawsuit saying the city used shifting...
City’s New Finance Director | Aceves Foregoes South El Monte for Top Position in...
City Manager Stephanie DeWolfe on Feb. 27 announced the appointment of Karen Aceves as South Pasadena’s new finance director. Aceves, who’d been serving as...
‘A Highly Unsustainable Project’ | Residents Demand Stop to Moffat St. Extension in Monterey...
The prospect of extending a stretch of pavement along South Pasadena’s southern border in the Monterey Hills has generated opposition from neighbors concerned about...
UPDATE: Vanessa Marquez Shooting | Body Cam Video Released
UPDATE for article originally published Monday, March 2.
The office of Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey has determined that two South Pasadena police officers...
110 Hookramp Development | Alternative Option Considered as City Awaits Metro 710 Funds
The City of South Pasadena, Metro and Caltrans will study a traffic solution alternative for the SR-110/Fair Oaks Ave. interchange that does not include...
Vanessa Marquez Coverage | ’90 Minutes Later’: Documentarian Seeks Closure, Justice
“90 Minutes Later” is the working title of the documentary independent filmmaker Cyndy Fujikawa has been working on about the August 30, 2018 death...
LOCAL COVERAGE | Car Accident at Huntington and Fair Oaks Ave
At approximately 5:46 p.m. a motorist slammed into a traffic signal located at the busy intersection of Fair Oaks Ave and Huntington Dr in...
Mission Bell Project Approved by Planning Commission | Tweaks Conditions, Authorizes Venture
One of the three largest new developments in South Pasadena over the past 20 years was approved Feb. 11 by the city’s Planning Commission,...
The Stinko Staple | Slowed but Unbounded, Twohey’s Rounds Stretch Toward Reopening
It’s been two years since the unexpected announcement that Twohey’s would close its 75-year old location in Alhambra and reopen in South Pasadena at...
City Council Scuffle | Call for Disclosure Over Cell Tower Negotiations
When Alan Ehrlich saw the agenda for the closed session of last Wednesday’s South Pasadena City Council session, he grew concerned. There was a...
General Plan Needs Work | Local Experts Send Detailed Response to City Officials
The ever-vigilant South Pasadena Preservation Foundation has filed comments on the city’s update to its General Plan, offering both corrections and advice to broaden...
Lawsuit Filed Against School District | Negligence Claimed by Family of SPHS Student Arrested...
The South Pasadena Unified School District is being sued by a family who say South Pasadena High School Assistant Principal David Speck needlessly had...
Arroyo Seco Trail Closure | Local Equestrians Urge City to Reopen Popular Path
Equestrians came out in force Wednesday to implore the South Pasadena City Council to reopen an equestrian trail that was mysteriously closed in early...
Initial Step in Infrastructure Commission Streamlining Taken | City Council Approves First Reading at...
The South Pasadena City Council on Wednesday approved the first reading of ordinances clarifying the roles of its two infrastructure commissions. The Freeway &...
CITY COUNCIL | Possible Restructuring of Transportation, Public Works Commissions on Agenda
After several years of wrangling and false starts, the South Pasadena City Council on Wednesday is set to restructure and clarify the roles of...
LA Housing Crisis | Covenant Dispute in Chinatown Prompts New Legislation
The president of the Los Angeles City Council is poised to introduce new legislation addressing one of the biggest structural problems of LA’s housing...
